Things that annoy you in Zombie movies. Or things you could do without

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Hi,


I have been watching George Romero's day of the dead. And I was thinking that there are some things in zombie movies that bother me. Like there is a character McDermott who gets into it with a character Steele about laying off of the booze. And the exchange went kind of like McDermott saying that there are no others left. That they searched and couldn't find anyone.

Then someone says, How can that be McDermott. And McDermott says they are using old rotting equipment from the second world war.

Well then Steele sarcastically says, "Well it's up to you to get it working right, lay off the F*%king booze why don't ya!"

Then McDermott responds back, "Well if we stay down here long enough, I'll have to stay off the F#%king booze steele because there won't be F#%king any of it F#%king left."

Then Steele says, "Well your best isn't good enough!" Like put up your dukes.


Then McDermott accuses Steele of having a nasty mouth. And then he talks about how the fact is that maybe there aren't any survivors and that they are the only ones that are left.

I notice that these are pivotal points in Romero movies. Where they wonder who is left on the outside world. And there is an argument. And people look divided and there are factions. And they talk about strategy on how to fight the zombies. But things begin to fall off the rails.


I notice this also in shows like the walking dead. Well I hope this isn't how it is going to play out if there is a zombie apocalypse. But I see how McDermott the F#%King with the F#%king has the worst nasty mouth of all of them. But he accuses the other military guy (Steele) of having a nasty mouth. And from that moment on it is set up that the military guy who was just asking McDermott questions about what his job was now becomes the bad guy.

McDermott (the guy with the real nasty mouth) is the good guy and Steele is the bad guy.

So that annoys me. I see this recurring theme in other zombie movies and shows. Where sometimes bad is just maybe a character who is stressed out too much. Maybe a little hawkish. And who isn't the best communicator. And who maybe has the best interests out for others, but he is misinterpreted. Like he isn't in the cool click or something. This isn't as annoying as which bachelorette is going to pick up which bachelor (like on the Bachelor.) But for a zombie movie I have to listen to the dialogue. And try to understand what it is that leads to the end where things fall apart.


Also, I notice that it is kind of covered up in Day of the Dead that McDermott John and Sarah look to me like United Nations workers. Like what you send in to a war torn region in a helicopter. Peace keepers. So throughout the movie they have this mightier than everyone type of image. And they even have their own little bungaloo to live in. But they wear helmets too. And Sarah is involved in the horrible macabre experiments they are doing to the zombies. (And yeah like she didn't know that Dr. Frankenstein was feeding them human flesh, whatever.) That's like Jeb Bush saying that he doesn't remember if his brother was in charge during 9/11.

So I don't 100 percent see how they are the good guys! But that is how zombie movies I assume are. The people who live (don't get bitten.)



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Day of the Dead was not very well written or acted in my opinion, and is the weakest of the Romero movies that I have seen probably.



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All the characters in the bunker have been stuck together for however long the zombie apocalypse has been going on so obviously they're all going to be on edge, especially when they don't even like each other all that much and stick to their own factions of military/science/other where possible. With that in mind, it's hard to have much sympathy for the military characters in particular when they are explicitly set up to be ill-tempered, would-be tyrants (and racist/sexist to boot, if Steel's comments about Sarah and Miguel are any indication). As such, I can understand why a character like McDermott would have no patience for him. Besides, I don't know how "involved" Sarah is in the experiments beyond simply finding out about it (is any indication given that she already knew about it before the events of the movie?) and not reporting it to Rhodes in order to avoid shattering the already fragile peace that exists in the bunker.
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All the characters in the bunker have been stuck together for however long the zombie apocalypse has been going on so obviously they're all going to be on edge, especially when they don't even like each other all that much and stick to their own factions of military/science/other where possible. With that in mind, it's hard to have much sympathy for the military characters in particular when they are explicitly set up to be ill-tempered, would-be tyrants (and racist/sexist to boot, if Steel's comments about Sarah and Miguel are any indication). As such, I can understand why a character like McDermott would have no patience for him. Besides, I don't know how "involved" Sarah is in the experiments beyond simply finding out about it (is any indication given that she already knew about it before the events of the movie?) and not reporting it to Rhodes in order to avoid shattering the already fragile peace that exists in the bunker.
Well hey you are entitled to your opinion. Please don't construe me as racist or sexist. I have kind of a beef with it's hard to have much sympathy for military characters.


I mean they are human beings too.


When I watch these zombie movies and shows Rick Grimes or Daryl Dixon in Walking dead. Or Sarah in Day of the Dead. These aren't in my opinion people of the greatest upmost morals and sterling sobriety. Sarah maybe the exception, but definitely not McDermott or John. John to me looks like a straight up spook (CIA, not black guy). I believe he even plays as one in that Mel Gibson movie conspiracy theory. So I just try to understand why these people are chosen as the ones who live and the other ones are basically picked off one by one. The military people to me actually look more like your run of the mill joes, people that look more trustworthy. They remind me of people that I have actually worked with at jobs. Once you get past the gruff hard exterior they are pretty cool.
Obviously Rhodes was set up to be someone that you are supposed to despise. Especially when he goes on the killing spree.

But Ironyphony said this is not a well written movie. I tend to agree. That doesn't mean I don't like the movie. This is actually my favorite zombie film. But Rhodes meanness and tyranny looks kind of forced to me. Especially for threatening to shoot Sarah for refusing to sit down or something. Even his men did not find it believable. Well you are entitled to your opinion.

Too many zombie movies though. To me force you to have to believe that this character is more moral or more upright than another one. And I just don't buy it. That McDermott even makes a comment near the end that he has half a mind to take the helicopter himself and get out of there. Well yeah like Duh, that wasn't your plan to begin with.

It's always about somehow culling the survivors (A la Lord of the flies) and having really almost down to like a couple people, to have the helicopter. Or have Dead reckoning. Or have the boat. Or have the military hum-vee, armored car. How is this that much different from that movie 2012? Where the Elites and super super rich are allowed to live because they have the means. In those mega billion dollar ships while the rest of the world perishes. We are supposed to believe those people are moral?

Yeah I mean Steele was over the top with the racist comments. And Rickles with the constant sexist comments. I thought was actually funny. Actually the way everything was so over the top and ridiculous to me was funny. I mean these movies aren't Shakespeare anyway. Probably the only annoying thing is yeah I've heard the dick jokes before, millions of times. So it's not new.
Romero has the sexist and racially offensive stuff in a lot of his movies. I believe Land of the Dead it was the retard jokes for the guy that was slow (maybe he was a retard, I don't know.)

Maybe I am in the minority too in Land of the Dead, I didn't think Dennis Hopper's character wasn't that bad I liked him!



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Well hey you are entitled to your opinion. Please don't construe me as racist or sexist. I have kind of a beef with it's hard to have much sympathy for military characters.


I mean they are human beings too.
Yes, they are human beings - the problem is that they are shown again and again to not be particularly sympathetic human beings. It's a common theme throughout Romero's zombie movies that the humans can be just as monstrous as the actual zombies (technically more so since they have free will) and that you can't assume every human being deserves sympathy just because they're still human.

When I watch these zombie movies and shows Rick Grimes or Daryl Dixon in Walking dead. Or Sarah in Day of the Dead. These aren't in my opinion people of the greatest upmost morals and sterling sobriety. Sarah maybe the exception, but definitely not McDermott or John. John to me looks like a straight up spook (CIA, not black guy). I believe he even plays as one in that Mel Gibson movie conspiracy theory. So I just try to understand why these people are chosen as the ones who live and the other ones are basically picked off one by one. The military people to me actually look more like your run of the mill joes, people that look more trustworthy. They remind me of people that I have actually worked with at jobs. Once you get past the gruff hard exterior they are pretty cool.
Obviously Rhodes was set up to be someone that you are supposed to despise. Especially when he goes on the killing spree.
You couldn't have just typed "looks like he's in the CIA" or something?

Anyway, that's a pretty big assumption that the military characters might be okay under the surface when they clearly have no problem constantly showing their ugly side to the only people left who would take offence to it. Like I said, no wonder the main characters don't want to be friends with them. Doesn't matter if you personally wouldn't have a problem with it because the film establishes plenty of reasons why these particular characters wouldn't like each other and wouldn't try to get to know each other better.

But Ironyphony said this is not a well written movie. I tend to agree. That doesn't mean I don't like the movie. This is actually my favorite zombie film. But Rhodes meanness and tyranny looks kind of forced to me. Especially for threatening to shoot Sarah for refusing to sit down or something. Even his men did not find it believable. Well you are entitled to your opinion.
Curious that you would call it your favourite despite having such major problems with it. If I had complaints of this nature with a movie, it more than likely means I hate it.

Too many zombie movies though. To me force you to have to believe that this character is more moral or more upright than another one. And I just don't buy it. That McDermott even makes a comment near the end that he has half a mind to take the helicopter himself and get out of there. Well yeah like Duh, that wasn't your plan to begin with.
That's a common thing throughout the movie - even Rhodes himself says he wants to leave at one point but Dr. Logan asks him where else he would even go. The constant conflict of whether to stay or go is common in the Dead movies - is it better to stay put in relative safety even if the situation feels like an uncomfortable trap or to escape into the unknown in the uncertain hope that it'll be better elsewhere? Besides, it's only once the bunker is overrun that anyone tries to escape anyway.

It's always about somehow culling the survivors (A la Lord of the flies) and having really almost down to like a couple people, to have the helicopter. Or have Dead reckoning. Or have the boat. Or have the military hum-vee, armored car. How is this that much different from that movie 2012? Where the Elites and super super rich are allowed to live because they have the means. In those mega billion dollar ships while the rest of the world perishes. We are supposed to believe those people are moral?
I don't get the impression that they're rich so much as a handful of civilian survivors who happen to have useful enough skills that they get to live in the bunker.

Yeah I mean Steele was over the top with the racist comments. And Rickles with the constant sexist comments. I thought was actually funny. Actually the way everything was so over the top and ridiculous to me was funny. I mean these movies aren't Shakespeare anyway. Probably the only annoying thing is yeah I've heard the dick jokes before, millions of times. So it's not new.
Romero has the sexist and racially offensive stuff in a lot of his movies. I believe Land of the Dead it was the retard jokes for the guy that was slow (maybe he was a retard, I don't know.)
He's obviously using it to distinguish the bad humans from the good, though. Anyway, you don't call people retards.

Maybe I am in the minority too in Land of the Dead, I didn't think Dennis Hopper's character wasn't that bad I liked him!
He's enjoyable as a fictional character but he's still a greedy, murderous, double-crossing slumlord and thus I question how you can complain about Day's heroes not being morally upright enough for you while also claiming that he "isn't that bad".



Fast Zombies. I can't stand them. Give me the classic slow zombies any day.



Wow Iroquois. Pretty thorough. You win! Well I just want to try to restore order to the rule of law. But you will probably put me in my place. Sounds like there are definitely different philosophies that one can have. Remember Plato's meno?
If I were to be someone reading my comments I would have to agree with me on comparing The Walking Dead with Day of the Dead. Actually I have only seen probably 1 percent of all walking dead episodes.

Umm..Ok so you don't get the impression that they are rich?? They are in an underground bunker dude! Do you think that underground bunkers are cheap to make? Or that they would be cheap to handover to a band of deliquents or sort of scrubby looking guys. *Not saying that rich people can't be delinquents. But I mean poor delinquents. We are talking mega bucks in the billions to make underground facilities. That have running water. Sewage heating and cooling. You don't think that it could be a simile to Norad. Or something like that. In which case if an end of the world scenario were to happen I am guessing the "Rich" (actually to be more accurate I call them the elites) would kick out probably about 99 percent of the dummy stand on orders personnel and re staff the place with a totally knew crew. That is not to say that the new crew of Elites, rich, greedy murderous wouldn't turn on each other. Again Lord of the Flies. I think it is interesting to me that Night of the Living Dead supposedly was based on Richard Matheson's I am Legend. But if you look at the trend of the zombie movies and shows it is basically become Lord of the Flies. And whatever book would be an every man for himself/herself type of deal. Maybe a Stephen King dime novel. Basically I am arguing with you because this Time Magazine article I am holding right now is arguing with you as well. I will quote it.

Iroquois are you Pro Navy Seal? Well I guess Military people aren't military people unless they are getting sex changes. <--These days! Like Charles Durning on Tootsie says, "Bulls are bulls and Roosters aren't the ones laying the eggs." Maybe that is what Frankestein was working on in his laboratory. Sex change operations for zombies. The one thing I didn't get in Day of the Dead was the whole making the zombies behave deal. It was basically a comedy. That annoys me. But.

I kind of think that McDermott is a scumbag. But yeah.





That's a common thing throughout the movie - even Rhodes himself says he wants to leave at one point but Dr. Logan asks him where else he would even go. The constant conflict of whether to stay or go is common in the Dead movies - is it better to stay put in relative safety even if the situation feels like an uncomfortable trap or to escape into the unknown in the uncertain hope that it'll be better elsewhere? Besides, it's only once the bunker is overrun that anyone tries to escape anyway.
When talking about zombie movies I like to think a little outside of the box. I mean there is the cut and paste cardboard description.
But wasn't Night of the Living Dead inspired by Richard Matheson's I am Legend? Somewhere we have changed novels. From I am Legend to Lord of the Flies. And intermittently between people/survivors getting picked off one by one. You have the God person (in a foreign accent) telling us about why the Almighty is punishing us. Although I noticed that The Walking Dead and Resident Evil has totally done away with that part. It is straight up Lord of the Flies. And the God part No longer are they talking about Christians are the salt of the earth. Now it is the All mighty is punishing us.
Or like Will Smith in I am Legend has a freak out and says, God. What God?! Where is God?






Yeah I mean Steele was over the top with the racist comments. And Rickles with the constant sexist comments. I thought was actually funny. Actually the way everything was so over the top and ridiculous to me was funny. I mean these movies aren't Shakespeare anyway. Probably the only annoying thing is yeah I've heard the dick jokes before, millions of times. So it's not new.
Romero has the sexist and racially offensive stuff in a lot of his movies. I believe Land of the Dead it was the retard jokes for the guy that was slow (maybe he was a retard, I don't know.) He's obviously using it to distinguish the bad humans from the good, though. Anyway, you don't call people retards.

Maybe I am in the minority too in Land of the Dead, I didn't think Dennis Hopper's character wasn't that bad I liked him!

He's enjoyable as a fictional character but he's still a greedy, murderous, double-crossing slumlord and thus I question how you can complain about Day's heroes not being morally upright enough for you while also claiming that he "isn't that bad".
Ok. Well you pretty much got me there. Romero was the one who called the guy a retard. But yeah I enjoy the quib and attack on people. So point taken. I guess like most people who watch movies I am a hypocrite and go towards my hypocrite leanings. I like Dennis Hopper as an actor so he could probably play anyone and I would like him. I thought it was weird seeing him in a zombie movie anyway. And I thought his funny character made the most quintessential remark about zombies.

"Zombies. Man they creep me out." Like his character forgot he was in a zombie movie!



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Umm..Ok so you don't get the impression that they are rich?? They are in an underground bunker dude! Do you think that underground bunkers are cheap to make? Or that they would be cheap to handover to a band of deliquents or sort of scrubby looking guys. *Not saying that rich people can't be delinquents. But I mean poor delinquents. We are talking mega bucks in the billions to make underground facilities. That have running water. Sewage heating and cooling. You don't think that it could be a simile to Norad. Or something like that. In which case if an end of the world scenario were to happen I am guessing the "Rich" (actually to be more accurate I call them the elites) would kick out probably about 99 percent of the dummy stand on orders personnel and re staff the place with a totally knew crew. That is not to say that the new crew of Elites, rich, greedy murderous wouldn't turn on each other. Again Lord of the Flies. I think it is interesting to me that Night of the Living Dead supposedly was based on Richard Matheson's I am Legend. But if you look at the trend of the zombie movies and shows it is basically become Lord of the Flies. And whatever book would be an every man for himself/herself type of deal. Maybe a Stephen King dime novel. Basically I am arguing with you because this Time Magazine article I am holding right now is arguing with you as well. I will quote it.
I got the impression that the bunker was a military one because the soldiers were the ones in command of it, so rich civilians were almost certainly not involved in building it, let alone running it. It's just one bunker that we see throughout the entire film - for all we know, the rich established their own strongholds elsewhere (as in Land of the Dead). It ultimately doesn't matter - what matters is that the civilians seen in this movie are shown to be pulling their weight in keeping the operation running. Anyway, I Am Legend is relatively limited on a dramatic level since it amounts to only one character facing off against a horde of vampires - interesting, sure, but only up to a point (the book itself is already pretty short and still has him meeting other characters). By introducing more characters to these stories, it allows for a much greater variety of drama and action.

Iroquois are you Pro Navy Seal? Well I guess Military people aren't military people unless they are getting sex changes. <--These days! Like Charles Durning on Tootsie says, "Bulls are bulls and Roosters aren't the ones laying the eggs." Maybe that is what Frankestein was working on in his laboratory. Sex change operations for zombies. The one thing I didn't get in Day of the Dead was the whole making the zombies behave deal. It was basically a comedy. That annoys me. But.

I kind of think that McDermott is a scumbag. But yeah.
...the hell? Sex changes? Man, whatever. I don't think there's much to "get" about Day focusing on zombie behaviour like it did. It was a mad scientist's well-intentioned idea to fix the zombie problem that just caused more problems in the process - besides, these films do play like comedies a fair bit of a time anyway. Dawn had a bunch of bikers throw custard pies in zombies' faces, after all.

When talking about zombie movies I like to think a little outside of the box. I mean there is the cut and paste cardboard description.
But wasn't Night of the Living Dead inspired by Richard Matheson's I am Legend? Somewhere we have changed novels. From I am Legend to Lord of the Flies. And intermittently between people/survivors getting picked off one by one. You have the God person (in a foreign accent) telling us about why the Almighty is punishing us. Although I noticed that The Walking Dead and Resident Evil has totally done away with that part. It is straight up Lord of the Flies. And the God part — No longer are they talking about Christians are the salt of the earth. Now it is the All mighty is punishing us.
Or like Will Smith in I am Legend has a freak out and says, God. What God?! Where is God?
Yeah, that's just a trope they do or don't use depending on whether or not they feel like it. The dead rising seemingly everywhere definitely comes across as a sign of the end times that'll definitely test or break people's faith.



I could do without zombie movies. That's enough already. After Shaun of the Dead (which was an excellent tribute/parody) I figured it was bowed nicely. But execs had other ideas. A very boring premise that hasn't been enriched since Romero/Wright, imo.



But yes please can I talk about zombies? This won't get political I promise. I won't talk about Beto O'Rouke's army of zombie followers. Or zombie donations. Get it?! joke. There are tons of things that annoy me in Zombie movies. How about the trope that Iroquois talks about. Where the "All mighty is punishing us." Why can't the person doing the God is punishing us speech be an American? Always it is someone in a foreign accent.. John talks in a Jamaiican accent. O'Flynn in survival of the dead is constantly talking about the almighty. And he is Irish. John calls God The "Boss Man." Like maybe Romero assumes that regular Americans are too heathen to know about God.


Well Shaun of the Dead is one of those movies that leaves God out. As much as the corniness of talking about God bugs me, I still want that corniness. To stay true to the whole end of the world theme. And us humans are still religious people. Unless they have banned bibles or something. And please don't make me do a search for the Grave creek tablet. Unless there were zombies in the days pre us white people coming to America. I always wonder how zombies seem to have the super strength. To me it seems like some kind of book of genesis deal with the nephelim.


Joel replace the word zombie with Nephelim. Then you may find some ability to correlate. Nephelim is that weird monster/abomination in the movie Prometheus. When they had it's severed head on a table and it was still able to move and function. Supernatural, nephelim. Zombies.
But oh it's funny fiction.



Fast Zombies. I can't stand them. Give me the classic slow zombies any day.


Heard that! Yeah world war z would have sent people to the hospital if it was made in the year 1980.

But they are faster than cheetahs.
Supposedly desperation and andrenaline can do that? Yeesh.



I could do without zombie movies. That's enough already. After Shaun of the Dead (which was an excellent tribute/parody) I figured it was bowed nicely. But execs had other ideas. A very boring premise that hasn't been enriched since Romero/Wright, imo.
Things that annoy me about pagans.

Well I kind of think of the movie Braveheart as a zombie film. I know this might sound like a screwed up statement. But remember the scene where all of the bodies are hanging. And William Wallace is wandering around. Then he has a dream that one of the bodies (while it is still hanging) comes alive. I thought that was creepy.

Plus at the beginning of Braveheart they say Edward Longshanks was a cruel pagan king. Well storywise maybe it fits with the story. However I heard on a radio show (coast to coast I think) that Edward or King Edward in reality loved to collect the book of Revelation. Like he was obsessed with the book of Revelation. That fact does not necessarily mean to me that he wasn't a pagan. <--To play devil's advocate like Iraquois. But that fact goes with the zombie theme.
In zombie movies they love to evoke God. Like God is punishing us. I notice in Romero movies it is the "creator" or the "All-mighty" is punishing us. And usually this person to convey this always talks in a foreign accent. In Day of the Dead, the God speech person is John who is Jamaiican talks in a Jamaiican accent. In Survival of the Dead it is O'Flynn who is constantly talking about the Almighty. And he is Irish. John calls God The "Boss man." This annoys me a little.

Brand new book called Frank. By Barney Frank — about same sex marriages. Well I don't know Iraquois. How many tens do you see in Night of the Living dead. Unless you are strapping me down to a chair, you can't tell me that there isn't a subtext going on. In Day of the Dead that is pretty interesting. Civilians don't actually work with the military in a situation like that. Unless they are military too. And they are wearing the white smocks, but.. Sarah is obviously a UN worker. And the "civilians," are her people.
And bugs me how John the helicopter pilot is so darn good with a pistol! He kills more zombies than anyone else in the movie. Yeah I mean I want him. He never misses. That doesn't "look" suspicious? McDermott wasn't too shabby with the machine gun. That doesn't look like they are maybe military too.



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Now I'm just picturing a zombie movie where the human antagonists are a straight-up religious cult that does human sacrifices.



Things that annoy me about pagans.

Well I kind of think of the movie Braveheart as a zombie film. I know this might sound like a screwed up statement. But remember the scene where all of the bodies are hanging. And William Wallace is wandering around. Then he has a dream that one of the bodies (while it is still hanging) comes alive. I thought that was creepy.

Plus at the beginning of Braveheart they say Edward Longshanks was a cruel pagan king. Well storywise maybe it fits with the story. However I heard on a radio show (coast to coast I think) that Edward or King Edward in reality loved to collect the book of Revelation. Like he was obsessed with the book of Revelation. That fact does not necessarily mean to me that he wasn't a pagan. <--To play devil's advocate like Iraquois. But that fact goes with the zombie theme.
In zombie movies they love to evoke God. Like God is punishing us. I notice in Romero movies it is the "creator" or the "All-mighty" is punishing us. And usually this person to convey this always talks in a foreign accent. In Day of the Dead, the God speech person is John who is Jamaiican talks in a Jamaiican accent. In Survival of the Dead it is O'Flynn who is constantly talking about the Almighty. And he is Irish. John calls God The "Boss man." This annoys me a little.

Brand new book called Frank. By Barney Frank — about same sex marriages. Well I don't know Iraquois. How many tens do you see in Night of the Living dead. Unless you are strapping me down to a chair, you can't tell me that there isn't a subtext going on. In Day of the Dead that is pretty interesting. Civilians don't actually work with the military in a situation like that. Unless they are military too. And they are wearing the white smocks, but.. Sarah is obviously a UN worker. And the "civilians," are her people.
And bugs me how John the helicopter pilot is so darn good with a pistol! He kills more zombies than anyone else in the movie. Yeah I mean I want him. He never misses. That doesn't "look" suspicious? McDermott wasn't too shabby with the machine gun. That doesn't look like they are maybe military too.



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Zombie movies died with George A. Romero, they started to die when Warm Bodies came out, then IZombie, then Walking Dead season 4 and up
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